Shinigami x Miko
by Uchiha B
Summary: Kurosaki Isshin remarried a woman by the name of Higurashi Nodoka seven years before their children's adventures began. Just how will this affect Higurashi Kagome and Kurosaki Ichigo in their chosen fates? Inuyasha/Bleach xover, Ichigo x Kagome
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Rated: T

Pairing: Eventual Ichigo/Kagome, Isshin/Nodoka, Eventual Karin/Souta/Yuzu

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><p>"Err... Ichigo...?"<p>

The pretty girl couldn't help but to wince as the punk's head smashed rather brutally into the cement ground, "Quit your talking!" Ichigo growled, stomping his foot into the punk's back repeatedly and ignoring his pained groans, "Don't any of you thugs know a little respect?" He asked with strong irritation.

"Toshirin went down with one blow!" The other thugs whispered among each other, shaking at the raw power the orange-haired teenager was displaying, "One frikin' blow!"

"Ichigo...?" Kagome tried again, stepping a bit closer when Ichigo didn't respond to her, "I think you made your point. I don't think he'll be bothering me again..."

"When a girl says 'no', she means it!" Ichigo stated, digging his heel into Toshirin's head, "It doesn't give you permission to sexually harass her!" He frowned, glancing at the telephone pole to his left, "And look at that!" He pointed to the fallen bottle and the flowers that had been scattered all across the ground, "What the hell did you do? Do you know what this is?"

"I-it's the tribute to the kid that just died recently?" A punk answered weakly, shaking as Ichigo glared at him, "I think–?" He couldn't even let out a cry of shock when Ichigo's foot met with his face and sent spiralling to the ground.

"That's right!" Ichigo swiftly turned around, thrusting his elbow quickly and hitting the last thug right in the stomach, "And I would like to know why it fell to the ground!"

"W-we knocked it over!" The thug on the ground practically squeaked in fear, "But it was an accident! We were skateboarding!"

"Ichigo! I think they get the idea," Kagome sighed, kneeling down and placing the bottle upright while sticking the flowers back into place, "You don't have to go too overboard."

"What the hot chick said–!" Toshirin was completely knocked out cold by the next blow that Ichigo let out before he could even finish his sentence.

"Bother Kagome again and I'll make sure that people will be leaving flowers here for you!" Ichigo snorted, watching in disinterest as the remaining thugs clumsily got to the feet and ran away as fast as they could while leaving the unconscious Toshirin behind, "Bastards..."

"Well," Kagome looked rather amused, "If you scared them that badly, I don't think that they will coming back to this area anytime soon," She said, "And really, Ichigo, you should have let me get a punch in. I didn't appreciate that bastard flipping my skirt up to they could get a peek."

"You sure that's all he did?" Ichigo was prepared to run after them if Kagome said 'yes', "I'll get them if they did anything else to you."

Kagome smiled, "I'm fine, but..." The schoolgirl gestured with her head to look down which is what Ichigo and wasn't exactly too surprised to the spirit of a little girl, "I think she wants to thank you, Ichi."

"I'll bring you new flowers tomorrow," Ichigo said, glancing at the spirit, "And those guys from before won't be bothering you again."

"Thank you," The spirit bowed low with appreciation, "Thank you for chasing them away," The spirit smiled at the two older teenager, "I can rest peacefully with them gone." And then she quickly disappeared from view of the two.

After a full few minutes of silence, Ichigo glanced over at Kagome, "Let's get home," He said gruffly, earning a smile from the shorter girl as she caught up to his long strides, "I'm sure Nodoka-san has dinner ready by now."

Kagome smiled, almost in a teasingly manner, "Defending my honour back there, Ichi?" She grinned, laughing when Ichigo mumbled under his breath about something she couldn't hear, "Yeah, we should head home now... or else Isshin might accuse you of doing something naughty to me~!

Kagome burst out laughing and ran ahead before Ichigo could respond and snickered when she heard a few curses thrown at her from behind her, courtesy of Ichigo.

However, neither Ichigo nor Kagome knew that the Shinigami that was about to change their lives forever was watching them from a distance with narrowed violet eyes...


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Rated: T

A/N: No, Kagome hasn't gone into the well just yet...

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><p>"We're home!" Ichigo called out as soon as he opened the door and Kagome winced when Ichigo slammed into the ground due to Isshin's powerful kick to his face.<p>

"You little punk of a son!" Isshin growled, "I know you're aware that our family dinner is at seven sharp every night! My lovely Nodoka works hard to make dinner and this is how you show your thanks?" He glared at Ichigo, "And you even have to drag Kagome-chan into your misdoings!"

"And this is how you greet your son who went out of his way to to help a ghost AND swat pesky flies away from your precious Kagome-_chan_?" Ichigo wasn't afraid to get into his father's face as Kagome simply sighed at their usual, yet unusual, behaviour.

Isshin immediately threw Ichigo into the nearest wall as he grasped Kagome's shoulders and shook her a little too roughly in concern, "Were boys bothering you again, Kagome-chan?" He asked, though didn't bother to wait for her answer, "Don't worry! Your Papa won't let them get away with it!"

"D-don't worry!" Kagome quickly answered, rather sure that there would be bruises on her shoulders come morning, "Ichi chased them away!"

Isshin seemed to calm down at the answer while giving his son a glance, "Even if you helped Kagome-chan like a good brother should, punishment is still the only answer for those who disrupt our family time!"

"Oh, Isshin-Dear," Nodoka smiled, coming from the kitchen and placing dinner on the table, "I don't mind if Ichigo and Kagome are a bit late. They are teenagers, after all," She divided the servings, smiling kindly down at Yuzu, Karin, and Souta, "Besides, helping a spirit is much more important than my simple meal."

"Don't say that, Nodoka–!" Isshin began, though was abruptly cut off when Nodoka gave him a warning look. He sighed, grumbling something bad about Ichigo under his breath.

"You already have another friend, Ichi-nii, Kagome-nee," Karin stated monotonously, chewing on her food while not even bothering to glance at them, "Behind you."

"What? When did you–?" Ichigo growled, swinging around to see yet another spirit floating behind them. He flailed around at the panicking spirit, leaving Kagome to drop her bag at the door and sit at the table with another sigh.

"You're so lucky, Nee-chan," Souta mumbled, "That you and Nii-chan get to see ghosts and all that stuff!"

"Souta, don't talk with your mouth full!" Nodoka scolded, earning a sulky look from Souta, "You can do the dishes tonight for that, young man!"

"But Onii-chan and Onee-chan _are _really lucky!" Yuzu quickly said, "I can sense presences of spirits, but I can never see them!"

"Forget it," Ichigo muttered, "Sorry, Nodoka-san, but I'm not hungry. I'm going to my room." He ignored the protests from Yuzu, disappearing swiftly up the stairs and out of sight.

"Ichi will be hungry later," Kagome said, getting up out of her seat, "So, save some for him, Mama?" She asked, quickly following after the orange-haired teenager up the stairs and opening his door without bothering to ask for permission to enter.

"Kagome," Ichigo didn't even open his eyes, "You don't come barging into a boy's room like that!" He huffed, casually put his arms behind his head while staring moodily at the ceiling.

"Why's that?" Kagome snickered, "Don't tell me that you were..." She quickly decided to change the topic, scrunching her nose at the thought of Ichigo doing _those _things, "Are you annoyed because you're seeing so many more spirits than usual?"

"No..." Ichigo vaguely answered, frowning when he spotted something in the corner of his eyes. He sat up quickly enough to startle Kagome, "What's that...?" He asked, and both teenagers watched in slight surprise as a black butterfly flew into the room.

However, both completely froze in shock when a figure dressed in entirely of black phased through the wall like it wasn't even there, "Who... are you?" Ichigo finally managed to get out, though the girl didn't appear to hear him at all.

"It's close." The girl simply said, glancing around while placing her hand on the hilt of her sword, causing both Ichigo and Kagome to stiffen at the dangerous motion and Kagome did the only thing she could think of in that moment (though it was completely crazy).

She tackled the figure...


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Rated: T

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><p>"What the...?" Ichigo could only stare with wide brown eyes, observing with disbelief as Kagome tackled the figure straight to the ground. His mouth opened and closed several times, yet nothing came out.<p>

"Who are you?" Kagome demanded, holding down the girl while she seemed to be absolutely stunned at what just had happened, "And why are you in Ichigo's room?"

"You... you both can see me?" The girl finally managed to get out, glancing up at Kagome with shocked violet eyes, "You even can touch me!"

"What?" Kagome looked a bit irritated, "What crap is that? Of course I can see you!" She reluctantly got off the girl, seeing that she wasn't making any threatening moves, "Is there a reason why we shouldn't see you?"

"This is quite odd," The girl stood up, wiping off her black uniform while observing the two closely, "Normally, no one should be able to see me. Or, that's what I've been told." She stated.

"What is this bullshit?" Ichigo frowned, reaching to grab the girl, though only falling to the floor as she easily outmanoeuvred him.

"Very well, I will tell you," The girl said with a serious face, "I am a Shinigami, or also more commonly known as a Death God."

"And you expect us to believe that, you Dumbass?" Ichigo huffed, "There's no such things as Shinigami or Death Gods!"

"You can see me and yet you are still in denial?" The girl looked a bit insulted at Ichigo's words, "What about you?" She demanded, swiftly turning her head to glance at Kagome.

"Well, umm..." Kagome paused, not knowing what to say. She did believe in such things since she grew up on a shrine listening to all the legends of the supernatural, but was reluctant to say it because Ichigo was flat-out denying it.

"In all the years I've been able to see spirits, I've _never _once seen a Shinigami before," Ichigo rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, "I don't believe in things I haven't seen."

"But you're seeing me right now," The girl insisted, "Why is it so difficult for you to accept?"

"Sure, maybe you're not human," Ichigo said, "But you can go play 'Shinigami' somewhere else." He dismissed her while patting her head in a mocking way, "You got that, you little brat?"

The girl twitched in anger, "_Bakudo no. 1: Sai!_" She called out, her arm making a flicking motion while Ichigo immediately fell to the ground with his arms locked behind his back, "You can't move now," She smirked, hearing Ichigo curse heavily, "This is _Kidou_ – a type of magic that can only be used by a Shinigami," A dark shadow seemed to eerily fall over her face, "Despite my appearance, I have lived nearly ten times as long as both of you, and yet you call me a 'little brat'?"

"All right," Kagome began, trying to play the peacekeeper, "You're a Shinigami – you've proven that," She looked at Ichigo, "Can you let him go now?" She certainly didn't want Ichigo to get hurt because of his blunt words.

"Normally, I would have to eliminate you two," The girl said, "But I'm forbidden to harm those who I haven't been ordered to, so be grateful, you little brat." She directed the insult towards Ichigo.

"You bitch!" Ichigo swore, widening his eyes from the ground as the Shinigami quickly drew her sword. He clenched his eyes shut, not wanting to feel the pain of being slice. Only after a few seconds passed, he opened his eyes again only to see Kagome standing protectively in front of him, "Kagome..."

"You are not my target," The girl said calmly, observing Kagome's fiery blue eyes with an amused smile, "And neither is your friend. _That _is my target," She pointedly looked over at the spirit dwelling in Ichigo's room, the exact same one from earlier, "I will send him to the Soul Society."

"Soul Society?" Kagome blinked curiously, watching carefully as the girl placed the hilt of her sword on the spirit's forehead.

"The Soul Society is a relaxing place," She explained, "In this place, I suppose it is similar to the concept of 'Heaven'," The spirit glowed with a bright light and seemed to disappear a moment later, "That is one of a Shinigami's jobs."

Kagome unconsciously nodded, rather interested in the tale that the girl was telling while Ichigo simply huffed once more and glanced away.

And none of the trio noticed the malicious presence creeping near the Kurosaki residence...


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Rated: T

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><p>"You have to be joking..." Ichigo mumbled, still stuck in the awkward position on the floor as Kagome laughed under her breath beside him, "Are you serious?"<p>

"In this world," The girl went on, as if not even hearing them, "There are two types of spirits. The first one is called "Plus", the ordinary spirits," She held up the paper, pointing to a rather badly drawn rabbit with a bunch of hearts surrounding it, "These are the good kind; the kind you usually see," She switched papers to an equally badly drawn mean-looking bear, "And the other kind is called a Hollow. They attack the living and the dead and eat their souls."

"Why the hell are your drawings so bad?" Ichigo grumbled, flailing in anger as the Shinigami drew a moustache on his face with her marker, "What the hell?"

"Oh, shut up, Ichi," Kagome snickered, patting his back as he thrashed around like a fish out of water, "Isn't her explanation interesting?" She asked, receiving no answer from her step-brother.

"We Shinigami have two jobs," The girl continued on, "One is to lead the Pluses to the Soul Society through the _Konso _I just used, and the other is to kill Hollows and purify them."

"Purify?" Kagome perked up at the word, "As in spiritually purify them?" She looked excited as the Shinigami nodded, "Like what Miko and Houshi can do?"

"Miko and Houshi?" The girl blinked, now the one who looked rather interested, "Those beings have been extinct for centuries," She stated, staring at Kagome with curiosity, "What do you know about them?"

"Oh!" Kagome smiled, "Well, on my biological father's side, I come from a line of Miko and Houshi," She said, "Though nobody has shown any spiritual power for a long while – despite what my Jii-chan says." She muttered the last part.

"As interesting as all this is," Ichigo said sarcastically, shuddering as he recalled the last time he had visited Kagome's grandfather in Tokyo (those ofudas were _not _easy to take off), "TAKE THIS DAMN SPELL OFF ME!"

"Hmm," The Death God furrowed her brows, completely ignoring Ichigo, "What is your surname?" She suddenly asked of Kagome.

"Higurashi," Kagome answered, taking note of how the girl's eyes widened in shock and recognition, "Wha–?" She was abruptly cut off when the girl stood up with her hand tense on the hilt of her sword.

"I sense it," The Shinigami frowned, glancing around cautiously and stiffening when the door to Ichigo's room flew open, "A Hollow!"

"Yuzu-chan!" Kagome gasped, kneeling down by the girl as she fell weakly to the floor, "What happened?" She asked, vaguely hearing Ichigo struggle against the Kidou, though ignoring it for Yuzu.

"Karin-chan," Yuzu breathed out, panting harshly, "You and Onii-chan have to save... Karin-chan!" She whimpered in pain, before falling in Kagome's arms unconscious.

"Dammit, let me go!" Ichigo struggled, watching as Kagome checked Yuzu's condition and as the Shinigami ran past them with her sword drawn, "Fuck this!"

"Ichigo?" Kagome blinked, putting Yuzu down on the floor gently as Ichigo crawled on the floor with his knees and head towards the stairs, "How do you get rid of this Kidou?" She asked no one in particular as she helped Ichigo to his feet by allowing him to lean on her quite heavily.

She and Ichigo both tumbled down the stairs rather harshly as she lost her footing trying to steer Ichigo down, "Stay back!" Kagome lifted her head at the warning, ignoring the pain of falling down the stairs and looked towards the Shinigami who was facing off with a hideous-looking monster.

"Karin!" Ichigo stumbled to his feet, spotting the Hollow with Karin in its grip, "Its got Karin!"

The Shinigami paused in shock, staring at Ichigo with wide violet eyes, _'He's moving on his own... even under the power of my Kidou?' _She thought, stumbling back as he completely broke the binding spell with nothing but his raw human will, _'How...?'_

"Ichigo!" Kagome gasped in horror as the Hollow flung Ichigo away from like he was a mere rag-doll, "Ichigo, are you okay?" She ran headfirst into the danger, managing to catch Karin before she could crash to the ground as the Shinigami cut into the Hollow with her sword, "Karin-chan!"

"Stay calm, the both of you," The Shinigami ordered, glancing around cautiously as the Hollow seemed to disappear for the moment, "Your sisters' souls weren't eaten by the Hollow."

Ichigo ignored the pain in his body, taking Karin from Kagome so he could check for injuries himself, "I see now." The Shinigami murmured, glancing at both Ichigo and Kagome from the corner of her while keeping her guard up and swinging around as the Hollow reappeared right behind the two while growling menacingly.

"This Hollow was after you two this entire time!"


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Rated: T

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><p>"This Hollow... is after <em>us<em>?" Ichigo repeated, just barely able to jump out of the way of the Hollow while dragging Kagome with him, "But why?"

"_**Such... delicious souls**_," The Hollow growled, "_**I want to devour you**_!" It lunged again, though was quickly intercepted by the Shinigami and her sword.

"Yes," The girl confirmed, "It's after you two. It must be attracted to your Reiatsu," She narrowed her eyes, "How did I not notice it before?"

"You're saying that... Karin and Yuzu are hurt because of _me_?" Ichigo glared daggers at the Hollow, suddenly running closer towards it while the girl tried to hold him off, "It's my soul that you want, isn't it?" He spread his arms, as if trying to provoke an attack, "Fight me for it!"

"Fool!" The Death God yelled out, prepared to take the blow for Ichigo but stopped in horror when blood pooled to the ground and she froze.

"K-Kagome...?" Ichigo's eyes were as wide as they probably could go, "Kagome – what the fuck are you doing?"

"I-Ichi..." Kagome winced in pain, feeling the Hollow's dull teeth tightened around her side and also feeling the blood dripping down her body, "Ichigo, you gotta get Karin-chan and Yuzu-chan!" She ordered, clenching her teeth in pain when the Hollow clamped down even harder, "And you gotta check if Souta, Mama, and Isshin are okay..."

"Damn it!" The Shinigami narrowed her violet eyes, holding her sword in front of her, though almost dropping it in shock as visible Reiraku seemed to wrap around the girl and the Hollow screamed in what seemed to be pain and brutally threw Kagome back to the ground.

_'That Reiraku...' _The girl thought with disbelief, _'It was pink... does that mean?' _Her eyes widened at the thought, _'This girl is...'_

"Kagome!" Ichigo quickly knelt down beside her and gasped when he realised the extent of her injuries. A large chunk of flesh had been ripped from her side and it was bleeding profusely, which he tried to stop by applying pressure on the wounded area.

"_**Delicious**_," The Hollow licked his lipless mouth clean of the blood, "_**I must have more**_!"

However, everyone was caught off guard when the Shinigami stepped in front of Ichigo and Kagome, "This ends here and now," She stated with cold eyes, holding her sword upside down, "Mai – Sode no Shirayuki!"

"What the...?" Ichigo watched with wide eyes as the Shinigami's sword seemed to change its average appearance into that of a beautifully white sword with a long ribbon streaming from the hilt, "Her sword changed?"

"I won't let you get these humans," She said coldly, holding her now white sword in front of her, "Not if I have anything to say about it!"

"_**Must have their souls!**_" The Hollow roared, lunging so quickly that it took everyone off guard while it reached out for Ichigo. He tried to dodge at the last second, but also winced when he felt the Hollow's teeth sink into his stomach.

The Shinigami frowned, "Get out of my way, Boy!" She warned, not taking her eyes off the Hollow while Ichigo landed on the ground, also bleeding though it looked a whole lot more serious than Kagome's injuries.

The Shinigami sliced the air with Sode no Shirayuki while making sure that the Hollow was within the circle, "Some no Mai – Tsuki Shiro!" She watched with cold eyes as the Hollow screeched, before its cry was abruptly cut off by the tower of ice that suddenly froze over within the area of the circle, "Everything within this circle is in Sode no Shirayuki's frozen domain!"

The ice shattered, crumbling to the ground as the Hollow went with it, "Now then," The Shinigami sheathed her beautiful sword, quickly kneeling down before the two wounded humans, "You Fools!" She scolded, observing their wounds with intent eyes, "How could you possibly think that your strength could be enough to defeat that Hollow?"

"W-we had to try..." Ichigo coughed up blood, seeing that his vision was slowly going all blurry, "My family... is _everything _to me!" He declared hotly, glancing at Kagome out of the corner of his eyes and seeing that she had already lost consciousness from the blood loss.

"I see," The Shinigami murmured, unsheathing her sword once more, "There's only one way I can save you two," She said, pointing her weapon directly to Ichigo's heart, "You must become a Shinigami!"

"W-what?" Ichigo widened his eyes, before they gained a determined look to live, "If that's what it takes..."

"I have to thrust this Zanpakutou directly through your heart!" She said with narrowed eyes, "And my Reiryouku will pour into you," She furrowed her brows, "I don't know if this will work and it's risky, but..." Her sword moved closer to his heart, "It's the only way to save you!"

"F-fine," Ichigo sat up with difficulty, "Gimme that sword of yours," He grasped the blade, ignoring the pain it caused him, "Shinigami."

"My name," The Shinigami said, gripping the sword tightly before forcibly thrusting it through Ichigo's chest and was almost blinded by white light that flashed afterwards, "Is not Shinigami." Ichigo vaguely heard her as the Reiryouku flooded into his being.

"I'm Kuchiki Rukia!"


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Rated: T

A/N: Kagome's Zanpakutou resembles Nanatsusaya in _Angel Sanctuary_

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><p>The bright light even reached Kagome within her unconsciousness.<p>

_'This is,' _Her brow twitched with irritation, and she struggled to open her eyes, despite the nausea she was feeling from the blood loss, _'Worse than any alarm clock I've ever owned!' _Her teeth clenched when something cold splattered against her face and wind seemed to whip her hair wildly about, _'Way worse.'_

"Incredible," Rukia murmured, watching with wide eyes as Ichigo easily cut through the Hollow with an overly-large Zanpakutou, "He took so much more Reiryouku then I meant to give him," She panted, feeling as if the wind had been knocked right out of her, "And he killed the Hollow with only one strike!"

"Go to hell," Ichigo sneered, watching the Hollow collapse to the ground with one last cry, "For attacking my family, it's the place you belong!" He quickly turned around after giving the dead Hollow another glare, kneeling down by Kagome's side as she struggled to open her eyes, "Kagome?"

"Ugh... oww," Kagome winced, "Ichi, it feels like I've been run over by a truck," She attempted to give a weak smile, seeing the worry in Ichigo's eyes, "Where'd you find the time to change into that getup?"

"She will bleed out if we don't do something." Rukia said, biting her lip and grasping her sword once more, despite how reluctant she was to do. Ichigo had already taken much of her Reiryouku and she wasn't sure how much it would take to save this girl.

Ichigo took one look at Rukia before deciding quickly, "Wait," He said, grabbing the hilt of Rukia's Zanpakutou and lowering it while ignoring the shock on her face, "I'll do it this time." He murmured, seeing just how tired Rukia was looking.

"I-Ichi..." Kagome looked a little alarmed as he pointed the very large sword straight at her heart, "W-what are you doing?" She attempted to roll over, stopping as the pain shot through her.

"I'm gonna save you," Ichigo said impatiently, "Stop moving around!" He demanded, tensing when felt Rukia's hand land on his own, "What?" He snapped, knowing every second was vital to Kagome living on.

"Here, I'll help you," Her violet eyes were locked onto Kagome, "Your control over your Reiryouku is lacking," She grimaced, feeling his Reiatsu lash out uncontrollably, "You might end up killing her."

"Kagome, this might feel strange for a moment," Ichigo said, wiping away the smeared blood off her face, "But it's the only way." He said grimly.

"Stab away." Kagome joked weakly, bit down on her tongue in surprise when Ichigo suddenly thrust his Zanpakutou through her chest and directly into her heart.

Both Ichigo and Rukia were blown away and thrown into the nearest wall at the incredible backlash that happened, "This Reiryouku," Rukia gasped, shaking at the inconceivable amount of Spiritual Energy, "I've never felt so much before!" She inhaled sharply, _'Not even Nii-sama has this much!'_

"What's happening?" Ichigo opened his eyes, ignoring the pain the light was causing him and widening them when he spotted Kagome in the middle, "Kagome!"

"Wha...?" Kagome blinked, grabbing onto her wounded side as it burned hotly and to her surprise, she felt something roll into her palm. Even though the light was almost blinding, she couldn't help but glance down at it and was a bit taken back to see that there was a pink sparkling marble-looking jewel in her hand.

"_My seal!" _She could hear a dark yet displeased voice echo within her head, _"That brat broke the seal on her!" _The voice was gone as quick as it came and Kagome almost dropped the jewel to the ground when it began to burn within her hand.

Three pairs of eyes stared in disbelief as the jewel shone with an even brighter light before it all disappeared within a flash, receding into the night like none of this had even happened.

Yet in Kagome's hand, there was no longer a jewel, but a seven-bladed sword in which the blades almost appeared to be made out of glass.

"Kagome." Ichigo sighed in relief, seeing that she was no longer wounded, though staring at the sword rather curiously. He frowned when he noticed that she was not wearing the Shihakusho like he and Rukia were wearing.

_'Just who are these two?' _Rukia could only think, amazed at the changes that a little Reiryouku could make within these two human beings.

None of them knew that Ichigo had unlocked a very special seal within Kagome...


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Rated: T

Review please! (For me?) :3

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><p>"Dammit!"<p>

The Kurosaki-Higurashi residence was rudely awakened by Ichigo's loud cursing, "You've got a lot of nerve, don't you?" He growled, shoving Isshin's face further into the floor, "Trying to break my neck first thing in the morning?"

Isshin muttered something about "teaching him well" when Ichigo suddenly blinked, finally realising that it was the next morning, "How is everyone?" He demanded, "Karin, Yuzu, Souta, and Nodoka-san – how are their injuries?"

"Injuries?" Isshin blinked, getting up and forcibly dragging Ichigo to the front of their house, "It's a miracle, don't you think?" He said, though Ichigo could only stare wide-eyed at the massive hole that had been smashed into the house, "That truck did so much damage, but no one was injured last night!"

"I can't believe that we slept through it," Karin mumbled, surveying the damage, "The stupid truck driver got away." Yuzu and Souta agreed with a silent nod of their head.

Ichigo stared until he felt a hand land on his shoulder and he glanced down to see Kagome standing beside him, "Was last night," Her voice was rather hesitant, "Just a dream? Or did it really happen?"

"No, it happened," Ichigo said quietly so the others couldn't hear, "It must have been that Shinigami and her version of follow-up care," He said, though was only guessing, "She somehow made it so that everyone forgot what really happened."

"Now, then," Nodoka said with a kind smile to her children and step-children, "If you don't hurry up and eat your breakfast, you will be late for school."

"Yeah," Ichigo absently agreed, following after Nodoka and his sisters, "The Shinigami must have gone back to the Soul Society or whatever she mentioned." He said to Kagome.

"Have a good day at school!" Nodoka said, waving as Ichigo and Kagome finished their meal and began walking down the street.

The two stayed silently awkward, unsure what to say to each other while they pondered over last night's events, "Well," Ichigo scratched his head, "We're here," He muttered, gesturing to the train station as Kagome nodded. She took the train since she had wished to remain at her middle school in Tokyo in order to stay with her friends (and the ride every morning wasn't too bad, only about a half-hour), "I'll pick you up here after school."

"Yeah," Kagome proceeded up the stairs, "Say hi to Tatsuki for me." She said, running up the stairs and narrowly catching the next train.

However, neither student could get last night's events out of their minds...

~00~

Kagome felt guilty about skipping school that day (and knew her mother would be very angry with her), but she couldn't help taking the train back to Karakura Town and proceeding into Ichigo's high school.

She navigated through the halls easily, having been to Karakura High many times before. She ignored the stares she received for wearing an obviously different school uniform and the muttered whispers that were saying "She's Kurosaki's hot step-sister".

Her blue eyes brightened when she caught sight of Ichigo's hard-to-miss orange hair and she quickened her pace towards him, only stopping when a pretty redhead slammed into him and crashed down to the floor.

"Oh, it's you, Inoue." Ichigo blinked, looked down at Orihime and not even noticing how she suddenly seemed nervous around him.

Tatsuki would have berated Ichigo, though Kagome beat her to it (much to the surprise of Ichigo and the two girls), "Ichi, how rude!" Kagome shook her head, "You don't just bump into someone and say 'Oh, it's you'." She scolded lightly.

"Kagome!" Ichigo looked a bit taken back, "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be in school!" He watched dumbly as Kagome huffed and turned around to offer Orihime a hand.

"Just ignore Ichigo," Kagome said, helping Orihime up when she hesitantly accepted her hand, "He was never one for manners, Inoue-san." She smiled at Orihime's jumbled response.

"Nodoka-san won't be too happy with you, Kagome," Tatsuki said, getting over the surprise of seeing the middle school student, "Skipping school like that."

"Ugh, don't remind me," Kagome sighed, shuddering at the thought of her mother's anger, "I just... wanted to see Ichigo." She muttered with an embarrassed look, much to Tatsuki's amusement, though Ichigo knew it was much more than that.

"Aww, Ichigo! It must be nice to have a sister with such a brother complex!" Tatsuki teased, enjoying the red that appeared on Kagome's face and the rather clueless expression on Ichigo's face.

"KAGOOOOOME-CHAN!"

Ichigo sighed, placing an arm around Kagome's shoulder and moving her out of the way just in time for Keigo to land brutally on the floor where she was just standing, "Keigo." Ichigo greeted with a roll of his eyes.

"You're so mean, Ichigo!" Keigo whined, pouting at the orange-haired boy, "I just wanted to give Kagome-chan a welcome hug!"

Kagome simply giggled nervously and gave Keigo a wave, "Hey, Keigo-kun," She greeted, earning a far-too-enthusiastic response back, "Mizuiro-kun." She nodded at the other when he finally arrived much slower than Keigo.

Both Ichigo and Kagome tensed when a small but very familiar girl approached them from behind, "Ah, so you're Kurosaki-kun!" She said with a big fake smile and a falsely nice voice, though Ichigo and Kagome could only stare at her with wide eyes to even notice.

"I-it's you!"


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Rated: T

* * *

><p>Her fake smile was starting to unnerve them.<p>

"Hello, my name is Kuchiki," Rukia prettily introduced herself in a false voice, "And I will be sitting next to you, Kurosaki-kun."

"Y-you!" Ichigo growled, pointing to the small girl with a shaky finger, "What the hell are you doing here?" He didn't even notice that she was wearing the uniform of Karakura High in his shock.

"What?" Keigo gasped, staring at Ichigo with wide eyes, "You know Rukia-chan?" He asked enviously, pouting a bit because it was always Ichigo who met the cute girls first.

"Oh no," Rukia answered before Ichigo could, "This is the first time we have met," She smiled, turning to look at the slightly shocked Kagome, "And this must be Higurashi-chan. I heard that Kurosaki-kun had a step-sister."

Ichigo stared as Rukia offered him her hand, flipping it over and he twitched when he noticed there was a few words scribbled onto her palm.

_'MAKE A SCENE AND I WILL KILL YOU!'_

Rukia smirked at his reaction, watching as Ichigo quickly backed away from her, "Ichi," Kagome suddenly broke into the conversation, grabbing his arm and also giving a rather fake smile, "Why don't you show me out?" She turned to Rukia with the same fake smile, "And you can come too, Kuchiki. I would like to get to know my brother's new classmate with a little girl talk, okay?"

The trio made their way outside and Ichigo made sure they were alone before snapping out at the Shinigami in a school girl uniform, "What the hell are you thinking?"

"Oh, how scary!" Rukia snickered, "I wonder what you are talking about?" She asked in that irritating false voice of hers.

"Stop talking in that disgusting way!" Ichigo sneered, looking very annoyed as Rukia merely shrugged.

"Is it not impressive that I have learned this in only one night?" She answered.

"What are you doing here?" Kagome asked, seeing that Ichigo was too annoyed to get the information they wanted, "I thought that you went back to that Soul Society place?"

Rukia's falsely sweet face turned into a frown, "Fools," She sighed, "Only Shinigami can go to the Soul Society," She said, "It seems that a lot of my power was taken by you." She stated, looking accusingly at Ichigo.

"I don't know anything about that." Ichigo huffed, feeling offended by Rukia's accusing look.

"I can still use my Zanpakutou," Rukia crossed her arms, "But I don't have enough Reiryouku to sustain my form, thus I have to use this faux body," She gestured down at herself, "I also cannot get back to the Soul Society."

"Faux body?" Kagome blinked, looking very curious, "What's that?"

"They are temporary hosts for emergency situations," She explained, "Shinigami use them when they are extremely weakened and need them to recover their lost power."

"So I guess that's how my classmates were able to see you." Ichigo muttered thoughtfully.

"That's right," Rukia smirked, "Anyways, from here on, until my full powers return to me, both of you will help me out with my Shinigami duties!"

"What?" Ichigo's face turned blank while Kagome simply blinked in response, "Huh?"

"It's only natural since I don't have my full powers. Neither of you have the right to refuse me." Rukia said with an arrogant expression.

"Are you shitting me?" Ichigo growled, "I refuse! We both refuse!" He answered on the behalf of both of them, "There's no way in HELL that I will fight a monster like that again! And I would NEVER let Kagome fight those things!"

Kagome sighed, though was a bit flattered about how much Ichigo seemed to be worried for her well-being.

"That's ridiculous!" Rukia frowned, "You fought magnificently last night!" She abruptly turned to Kagome, "And you possess a vast amount of Reiatsu! It would be idiotic for you not to fight!"

"Don't call Kagome an idiot!" Ichigo said heatedly, stepping in Rukia's personal space to try to intimidate her with his height, though she seemed largely unaffected, "I only fought because my family was being attacked! I won't fight for random strangers, as cruel as that sounds."

Rukia narrowed her eyes as Ichigo turned his back on her and began to walk away, expecting for Kagome to follow him, though she did not, "I see," Rukia sighed, staring at Kagome from the corner of her violet eyes while she slipped on a red fingerless glove with a skull imprinted on it, "Then you leave me no choice."

Ichigo glanced back when Rukia called out to him and widened his eyes when she abruptly pushed her gloved hand into Kagome's face, pushing out her spirit form while her live body dropped lifelessly to the ground, "W-what?"

Kagome gasped, staring at herself and noticing that she was now wearing a Shihakusho like Rukia and Ichigo were last night, "I thought as much," Rukia said knowingly, "You _do _have a Shinigami form, Kagome."

"What the hell did you do?" Ichigo raged, pointing at Kagome's body, "Make Kagome normal again!"

"Come with me." Rukia said, completely ignoring Ichigo while grabbing Kagome's hand and dragging her away from Karakura High. She smirked, glancing back at Ichigo who seemed furious that she was ignoring him.

_'Follow after me, Kurosaki. I know you will for your sister here...'_


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Rated: T

* * *

><p>"Where are we going?" Kagome asked, watching curiously as Rukia kept glancing down at cell phone.<p>

"It should be near here," Rukia murmured out loud, following the directions on her mobile phone, stopping to look around the park they had entered, "These are my orders from the Soul Society."

Kagome nodded, glancing behind her and smiling when she noticed that Ichigo was stubbornly following after them, though he seemed to have finally quieted down now that he realised yelling and cursing was useless.

"It seems that a Plus will be attacked here shortly." Rukia stated, jumping when a terrified scream suddenly sounded from the playground area of the park. Both girls watched as a little boy ran from a spider-like Hollow.

Kagome flinched a little, despising spiders but there was no way she could just stand there and watch while the small boy was attacked before her very eyes. She ran forward, grabbing her sword that was tied to her hip by her white sash.

Rukia observed all of this with a smile, not too surprised when a hand roughly took a hold of her shoulder and increasing until her shoulder began to hurt, "Why are you just letting Kagome go?" Ichigo growled, "She'll get hurt!"

"Because Kagome understands that this is a Shinigami's duty," Rukia said, "While you may only fight for your family, Kagome is willing to risk herself for anyone who is in need of help."

Ichigo clenched his teeth, ready to run headfirst into danger when Rukia stopped him by grabbing his arm, "Wait! Just watch!"

Kagome frowned, unsheathing her Zanpakutou and vaguely noticing that it looked like a normal sword and not the seven-bladed one she had possessed last night, _'Why does it look different?' _She wondered, but didn't ponder on it as she slashed at the Hollow right as the boy tripped to the ground.

The blue-eyed girl winced a bit as the spider-like Hollow roared its pain, falling and flailing on the ground before dissolving into spiritual particles. She let out a breath, about to turn to the boy to see if he was all right, though she found Ichigo's furious face in hers as she did turn.

"What the hell are you doing?" Ichigo growled, stepping closer when Kagome stepped back, "You could have gotten hurt! That monster could have KILLED you!"

Kagome frowned softly, slipping her Zanpakutou into its sheathe, "Do you expect me to just stand there while someone is being attacked right before my eyes?" She put her hand on his shoulder and forced him to lean down to her height and into her, "But thank you for caring for me so much, Ichi. It means a lot to me."

Ichigo swallowed nervously, feeling some sort of heat burst within in as Kagome pressed herself tightly against him for a second more before releasing him, _'What the...?' _He thought, unsure of what he had just experienced.

He had never felt anything like that before and he wasn't sure how to react to it.

"This is what a Shinigami's duties are all about," Rukia said, coming up beside Ichigo and crossing her arms while staring at Kagome and the little boy she had saved, "A Shinigami must treat all souls equally. No one is more important than another."

"That's a load of crap," Ichigo murmured, "That's bullshit and you know it!" He huffed, surprising Rukia with his statement, "But Kagome is different. She cares for everyone."

"Are you okay?" Kagome smiled, petting the boy's hair as he sniffled into her Shihakusho and wrapped his trembling arms around her waist, "If you don't want to be frightened like that again, then move onto the Soul Society." She squeezed the boy once before pressing the hilt of her Zanpakutou against his forehead and watching as the boy passed on peacefully.

"You performed that Konso perfectly," Rukia complimented, "You will become an excellent Shinigami, Kagome."

Kagome smiled, about to say something when Ichigo roughly grabbed her arm, "We're going home." He said, unable to look at his step-sister in the eye while directing her back towards the Kurosaki-Higurashi residence.

Rukia looked on with a small smile and quietly followed after.

~00~

Orihime glanced out the window, staring with an open mouth at the full moon while resting her chin upon her folded hands,"I didn't know that Kurosaki-kun has a pretty step-sister."

She never noticed the spirit watching her from afar...


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Rated: T

* * *

><p>"Did you just see what I just saw?"<p>

Kagome looked at the scene with an open mouth and both Ichigo and Rukia turned to glance what she was staring at. They blinked when they noticed that a van quickly skidded away, leaving behind a fallen figure in the streets.

"O-oh, owwie..." The red-haired girl moaned in pain, slowly getting up while rubbing her head as the trio ran up to her side.

"Inoue?" Ichigo looked a little taken back by the scene, "Were you just hit by that car?" His voice rose in volume with every word and Kagome quickly leaned down to help Orihime up to her feet.

"Umm, yeah... probably," Orihime answered, glancing down at herself and wiping her clothes of any dust, "But I'm okay! It just hit me only a little!" She smiled widely, thrusting her large chest forwards, "I'm totally revived now!"

"How do you get hit by a car 'just a little'?" Kagome muttered, looking a little weirded out by Orihime's enthusiasm after getting hit by a frikin' _vehicle_, "But it's good that you're not hurt, Inoue-san."

"Thank you!" Orihime smiled again, blinking brown eyes when she finally noticed the third person in Ichigo's group, "Kuchiki-san!" She gasped.

Rukia narrowed her violet eyes, "Who the hell are you?" She asked with a frown, not recognising the girl before them.

"Dumbass! She's in our class!" Ichigo hissed loudly, "Inoue. Inoue Orihime!"

Rukia blinked, before quickly doing a one-eighty in her attitude, "Oh, you're looking quite well, Inoue-san!" She curtsied, smiling falsely with her fake voice.

"You're looking good as well!" Orihime quickly curtsied back, and both girls' earned a strange look from Ichigo and Kagome, "And my green onions, butter, banana, and sweet bean jelly are uninjured, too!" She said excitedly while spinning a leek.

_'What the hell...?' _Ichigo sweatdropped, looking a little disturbed by the food choices Orihime had listed off.

"Your leg..." Rukia suddenly said, pointing down at Orihime's leg where a hand-shaped bruise could be seen, "Where did you get that bruise?"

"Oh," Orihime blinked, "It must have appeared when the car hit me," She said, "It hurts a little, but I'm okay now!"

"Want me to walk you home?" Ichigo offered with a monotone voice, raising a brow when Orihime seemed to panic at his offer.

"N-no, no! It's okay! I-I'm fine! See you later!" Orihime stuttered, quickly crossing the street after looking both ways and disappearing behind a corner.

"How did the car give her that bruise?" Kagome wondered out loud, almost rolling her eyes when Ichigo glanced at her with a dull expression, "It was _hand_-shaped, Ichi," She pointed out, "Like someone had grabbed her there really hard."

"That girl... are you two close to her?" Rukia asked, looking somewhat thoughtful.

"No, not really," Ichigo answered for the both of them, "I've never really talked to her before this. And Kagome goes to a different school," He said, "I remember her because her brother died at our clinic after a traffic accident. He was her only relative or something like that."

"I see," Rukia murmured, "Well, then – see you." She abruptly began to walk away, much to the surprise of the step-siblings.

"Where the hell are you going?" Ichigo asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets while Kagome looked on curiously.

"Home," Rukia smirked, "Curious, are you?" She snickered at his annoyed look, "Don't ask if you aren't."

"I thought that she said she couldn't get back into the Soul Society?" Kagome asked out loud, watching Rukia's back as she eventually faded into the horizon, "She has a home here?"

"It's her problem, not ours," Ichigo huffed, gesturing with his head, "Come on, let's go home." He said gruffly.

Kagome followed without a word.

~00~

"Nii-chan!"

Ichigo glanced up as Yuzu opened his door without bothering to knock, "Nii-chan, have you seen my pyjamas?" She asked.

"You should knock before coming in," Ichigo scolded lightly, "You're learning bad habits from Kagome," He sighed, "Why don't you ask her? Wasn't she the last one to do the laundry?"

"You've gotten all mean since you started high school," Yuzu pouted, "Fine, I'll go ask Nee-chan, then!" She shut the door behind her.

Ichigo glanced up after a few moments, looking a bit confused when a beeping noise sounded faintly within his room, "What the...?" He almost fell off the bed when his closet door abruptly opened, revealing a certain somebody dressed in yellow pyjamas, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN THERE?"

"Speak later," Rukia jumped out, "We have orders! A Hollow is coming!"

"IF YOU'RE GOING TO CREEP AROUND IN OUR HOUSE, THEN AT LEAST DO IT IN KAGOME'S ROOM, NOT MINE!"


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Rated: T

* * *

><p>Ichigo huffed, swinging his large Zanpakutou over his shoulder while throwing a mean glare at Rukia, "You know, these Hollows have only been attacking me ever since I met <em>you<em>!" He stared at the window where the Hollow had escaped after he managed to drive it off.

"He got away," Rukia frowned, "We've got to go after him!" She made a move to leave, though stopped after seeing that Ichigo was still in place, "Ichigo!"

"That Hollow," Ichigo began quietly, "I swear it had a face – a _human _face." He wasn't quite sure, but he believed he saw a human face on that Hollow after he had cracked its mask.

And not only that...

"That face... was Inoue's brother!"

Rukia glanced at him with wide violet eyes, jumping when the closed door to Ichigo's room suddenly opened, revealing an irate Kagome, "Ichi, what are you doi–? Rukia?" She blinked, looking a little surprised to see the Shinigami.

"Answer my question," Ichigo said, ignoring Kagome's questioning stare for the moment to glare harshly at Rukia, "Why did I see Inoue's brother?"

Rukia sighed, knowing that she had to answer, "Hollows... were all formerly human souls." She didn't seem to be too surprised by the shock on Ichigo and Kagome's faces.

"You mean, those monsters we've been fighting aren't monsters at all?" Kagome looked rather troubled, closing the door behind her so their family wouldn't barge in like she did, "They're human?"

"No!" Rukia interrupted sharply, "Now, they are _only _monsters!" She frowned, watching for their reactions, "You have to take him down! Otherwise, he will devour other helpless souls."

"How can I? I can't kill Inoue's brother!" Ichigo growled, "He doesn't need to die again! Maybe we can–"

"If you don't take him out now, then he can never be saved," Rukia said coldly, "And Inoue will be in danger."

"Inoue-san?" Kagome looked worriedly between the two, wondering what had just transpired before she had entered the room.

"We have to go now!" Rukia said, quickly placing the red glove on her hand and pushing out Kagome's Shinigami form before anyone could move, "Come, Ichigo, Kagome!" And with that, she jumped out of the window as Ichigo and Kagome looked to each other.

As their eyes met, they made a silent agreement and quickly followed after Rukia.

~00~

Ichigo easily bounced off the roofs of the houses, moving as fast as he possibly could with Rukia on his back and Kagome following quickly after him, "Hollows... they attack their relatives?"

"It does happen," Rukia answered, "Hollows are fallen souls. They have lost their hearts when they turned into Hollows. This Hollow must want to completely bury its heart and to do so, it must attack the soul of the person it loved most in its life."

"That's awful!" Kagome said, widening her blue eyes when she finally seemed to realise something, "Then, you mean, that bruise on Inoue-san's leg was actually...?"

"Yes," Rukia nodded, giving Kagome a look from Ichigo's back, "That bruise was the mark of a Hollow. It was most likely behind the accident that Inoue was involved earlier today!"

The two Shinigami moved even quicker at the words.

~00~

Orihime crawled back in shock, trembling against the wall as the large monster cornered her, "Tatsuki-chan..." She looked worriedly to her unconscious friend, though her eyes were quickly drawn back to the monster when it growled at her.

"_**I'm sad**_," It groaned in agony, "_**I'm so sad!**_" It tensed, preparing to lunge as Orihime braced herself for the inevitable attack. She only opened her eyes again after a few moments of not feeling any pain.

The sight had her widening her eyes in shock and dropping her jaw in awe.

"Kurosaki-kun!" She gasped, seeing Ichigo standing in front of her as he struggled to hold the Hollow back, "Higurashi-san!" She noticed that Kagome was kneeling down in front of Tatsuki and checking on her condition.

"It's not the time for it, but you can just call me Kagome." The blue-eyed Shinigami smiled weakly at Orihime, rather relieved that Tatsuki was not seriously hurt, only knocked out cold from the blow.

The Hollow snarled, though it did back off and disappeared back into the wall.

"It really is you, Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime looked delighted to see Ichigo, "But how come?" She blinked, tilting her head cutely.

"You can see us, Inoue?" Ichigo looked a bit surprised, his eyes drawn to the chain hanging down from Orihime's chest and he tensed once he recalled Rukia's words before before.

"_Shinigami are spirits. They can only be seen by other spirits."_

Did that mean... Orihime was already dead?


End file.
